Sacrifice
by memory.woman
Summary: Based off the film. Susan/Caspian. "This prince, this strange new man, held such a power over her with only a look. The logical side of Susan could not find any reason for this. But in her heart, she found many a reason…" Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

First ever fic, so please be nice! :)  
I've yet to read the book, so for now, it's based off the film.  
Reviews are always nice, &thanks for reading!  
Oh, &I own nothing. If I did, Susan &Caspian would be making babies by now...

Everything had changed. She should have guessed it the moment that they had returned. The air that rushed against her pale skin, the grains of sand that fell between her toes, even the stone of her old home that she touched – everything was different. The Narnia that Susan had once known would never be quite the same.

She had wanted so badly to come back. The thought of returning to Narnia plagued her every though, haunted her every dream, and poisoned her every wish. When she was back in England, in a totally different world than she now found herself in, Narnia completely consumed her. Ever since she had stumbled through the old, musty wardrobe, she had never stopped thinking of how and when she would return.

It was much different now. At first, she had reveled so much that she was back in Narnia that she hadn't noticed how strange and foreign it was. But the ruins of her old home, the disappearance of many of Narnia's creatures, and the unknown whereabouts of the greatest hero, Aslan, had put quite a damper on the return. As much as she didn't want to believe it, Susan was disappointed. She had expected a warm welcome, full of festivities and old friends, not a ruined palace and a jaded world.

When she closed her eyes, she could almost hear the trumpets sounding a triumphant call during her and her siblings' coronation ceremony. She could almost see the smiles upon the faces of Tumnus and the Beavers. She could almost feel the cool stone under her as she sat in her throne for the first time. Opening her eyes, she suddenly and brutally realized that these memories were only just, and that she would never be able to experience them again.

"Susan, are you awake?" Lucy asked suddenly, startling Susan.

She abruptly realized that she was not in her own head anymore, but in a clearing, sprawled across the grass, kept cool by the dawn's first air. Not feeling like talking, she didn't answer. She pretended to be asleep and stirred only a little, hoping that her act would suffice for her younger sister.

It did, and Susan heard Lucy get up and leave. She would have gone after her any other time. But now, she did not. She guessed that Lucy would be safe and turned over to watch her go. She then continued to dream about a life that was spent long ago.


	2. Chapter 2

"Lucy?" Susan called. She could hardly believe how stupid she had been. How could she have let Lucy go, especially after seeing how savage Narnia had become? And now Peter was gone, too. If something had happened to them, Susan would never forgive herself. "Lucy!"

She stopped suddenly and drew a sharp breath, her brother Edmund stopping at her side. Looking before her, she saw Lucy and Peter surrounded by Narnians, ones that had fought both alongside and against the White Witch the last time they had visited. They were all around them, centaurs and minators alike, some even with swords drawn. Also, Susan was shocked to see a man.

He was tall, tanned, and terribly handsome. His dark hair fell across his beautifully sculpted brow. The man's dark eyes pierced Susan as they fell upon her, his strong hands holding fast to his sword, which was pointed at Peter. She could feel his gaze burning into her, awakening a heat within her whole body that she could not explain. She shifted in her stance, growing uncomfortably hot, and decided that it would be best to look somewhere else.

Susan turned to her left and watched as realization struck the faces of all the Narnian creatures that surrounded them. She then began to understand what was happening. All of the different beings had realized that the ones they were holding at knife's point were Kings and Queens of Narnia, not Telmarine traitors as they had suspected.

"Who are you?" the strange man finally asked, taking his lingering eyes from Susan and fixing them on Peter.

"I'm Peter," Peter said. He breathed a sigh of relief and stole a glance at his oldest sister. "These are my sisters, Lucy and Susan, and my brother Edmund," he continued, beckoning to each of them as he said their names.

"You're the four Kings and Queens of Old!" exclaimed a dwarf.

"High King Peter?" the handsome stranger inquired, lowering his sword. If Susan could relate this man's voice to anything she heard while living in England, she would have thought he sounded like a Spaniard. "I expected you to be older."

"We could come back in a few years, if you'd like," Peter retorted, with a smirk.

"No," Caspian said, allowing his eyes to return to Susan. "You are most welcome."

"You must be Prince Caspian," Susan observed.

Before Susan knew what was happening, she and her siblings were walking alongside the Narnians and the prince towards their fortress, talking of the war that was to come and preparations to be made for it. Her brother Peter walked alongside Caspian at the front of the group, while the rest trailed behind, intertwined with the creatures of Narnia. Occasionally, Susan caught the gaze of Caspian as he turned around and smiled at her. She quickly looked down and smiled to herself, feeling her face grow warm. He was indeed very handsome.

Soon enough, they were crossing a field towards what appeared to be a tomb. It reminded Susan of the ancient Mayan structures that she had read about in textbooks back home in England. Of course, this was no schoolbook teaching and she was definitely not in England.

"Look!" a fawn called out suddenly as they had almost reached the tomb. He pointed towards the edge of the wood, and there the company stopped, turned, and saw a man armored in silver riding on a horse off into the distance.

"A Telmarine spy," Caspian said. Everyone turned to listen. "War will soon be upon us. We need to have a plan."

"We will have a plan," Peter responded. "Come."

He and Caspian started again towards the tomb, which they entered. All that was now left to decide was what the Narnians would do to save their lives.


	3. Chapter 3

"We need to attack the Telmarines at their palace," Peter said. The hot sun was setting as the company negotiated plans of battle against the opposing force.

Susan detected a change in Caspian's countenance as Peter said this. "No," he said firmly. "We will be walking ourselves into a corner if we do so. We cannot attack the palace. It will cost us many lives. If they storm us in the courtyard, we will be trapped and we will die."

"He's right, Peter," Susan found herself adding. "Any attack on the palace will bring us to ruin."

Caspian shot her a small smile of understanding.

"No," Peter said. "We're more vulnerable here. We have the element of surprise on our side if we attack them. "

"Peter, no. You heard Caspian; it would be a suicide. We lack the numbers that we need to wage a successful attack. We can hold them off longer here."

But Peter was stubborn. He would not consider any plan other than his own. Soon, he had all of the willing Narnians preparing for battle.

Susan left the meeting, flustered and angry at the stubbornness of Peter. She entered a room in the tomb fortress that she had been assigned to so that she could prepare for the battle. As she put on her armor in preparation for the fight, Susan wondered how Peter's plan would ever work. First of all, the only person that really knew the layout of the Telmarine palace was Caspian, so the Narnians did not have the advantage in that sense. Secondly, the Narnian army was far outnumbered. Everyone knew this. If trapped, all of the warriors would surely parish. Additionally, the plan relied on so many little parts, such as Edmund and the flash-light, and the mice opening the gate, that if one thing was out of place or any action taken even a second too late or too early, the whole entire operation would fail. Peter's plan had so many flaws that Susan could not even count them all. She sighed as she put on her quiver.

"Queen Susan," a heavily accented voice called. Susan turned around and saw Caspian standing near the door to the room that she was using.

"Caspian," she said. They bowed to each other.

"I wanted to thank you for standing up for me to your brother," he said with a small smile.

"It was nothing," Susan returned. "Peter means well, but your plan was the better of the two."

After a moment's pause, Susan sighed, "What do you suppose will happen?"

"I do not know," Caspian breathed. "Perhaps your brother's plan will work."

"What if it doesn't?" Susan asked. She looked down in embarrassment when she realized how loudly she spoke and how concerned she sounded.

Caspian chuckled. "I do not have any answers, Susan. But I believe that it is worth a try. Your brother has won a battle for these people before, and perhaps he will do it again."

Susan smiled at the prince. She was surprised to see how he had accepted Peter's plan. He was not stubborn about his own, nor was he bitter about the task that he was now faced with, which is how she had always seen her brothers react. Instead, he was willing to do what he was told, willing to fight for Narnia, whatever the consequences may be.

Caspian smiled back at Susan and opened his mouth to say something. He was, however, interrupted by Peter, who had come to the room seeking his sister?

"Are you ready, then?" he asked.

"Yes," said Susan, not looking from Caspian.

The two stared deeply at one another for just a moment longer. Again, Susan felt the intensity of his gaze casting a fire within her. She dared not look back any longer, but she could not pull herself away. This prince, this strange new man, held such a power over her with only a look. The logical side of Susan could not find any reason for this. But in her heart, she found many a reason…

Susan suddenly felt quite embarrassed, and in one swift movement, she keenly looked away and followed her brother out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

"What happened?" Lucy said.

Susan looked up at her sister, feeling her heart sink in her chest further than she could have imagined it would go. Kindhearted Lucy's shocked and sorrowful expression alone almost brought Susan to tears. There was no way that anyone could give a proper explanation to the young child now, with the heaviness and remorse that was widespread.

The battle had gone horribly. Its promising beginning had turned to a putrid end. When they first stormed the tower with success, Susan had thought that Peter's plan was working quite well. No one became injured at the attack's beginning, and everything had panned out just as Peter had said that it would. Susan had even imagined a complete victory with minor casualties, if any, for the Narnians.

But things fell apart. They were stormed in the courtyard, the one place that Caspian had feared the most. It was there that the fleets met their ruin. Too few came too late, and what little numbers the Narnians initially had in their ranks at the battle's beginning dwindled as the night drew on. The minor things that Susan had feared turning ill had in fact done just that. Edmund failed to give proper signals at the proper times, due to the unforeseen event of the breaking of light torches and surprise attacks by Telmarine soldiers. The plan slowly but surely fell apart at the seams.

"Ask him," Peter responded shortly, glaring angrily at Prince Caspian.

"Me?" Caspian questioned, somewhat confused at why the blame was being shifted to him.

The two soon began quite a shouting match, bickering back and forth quite bitterly about who was to blame for the failed attack on the Telmarines.

"If you had stuck to the plan," Peter yelled, "perhaps those soldiers wouldn't have died!"

"And if we hadn't even stormed they palace, they would certainly still be living!" Caspian retorted.

"Stop it, both of you!" Susan shouted. She found tears forming in her eyes.

She looked first to Caspian, who looked back at her with sorry eyes and a guilty expression. He glanced down at the ground in shame and then back at Susan, who held a steady, stern countenance as tears danced down her cheeks. She then looked to her brother Peter, whose eyes were defiant and at the same time, remorseful. His hard expression softened and he, too, took up a look of guilt.

Lowering her shaky voice, Susan continued, "Has there not been enough damage done already?"

She stared back at them a moment longer, and then turned to help her sister Lucy cure the injured wither her magical healing potion. She could not help but notice how heavy the blow that was dealt had hit them. Hardly half of the troops that had stormed the Telmarines had survived to return. Many of them were injured, and those who were not held heavy hearts and discouraged temperaments. The Telmarines would surely wage a counterattack, but how would the Narnians ever be able to fight back successfully with loses so great and with hopes so shattered?

Susan turned back to the entrance of the tomb where her brother and Prince Caspian had just stood. Peter was now with Edmund, who was resting a hand on his older brother's shoulder. Susan could see that Peter was feeling guilty, ashamed, and upset for the events that had befallen. She then turned to where Caspian stood. He was still staring back at her, his dark eyes now shaped with sorrow. He bowed his head at her shortly, and then turned and entered the tomb. As he walked away, he grabbed at his arm that had been injured when he confronted his uncle Miraz about the death of his father.

Susan walked after him towards the tomb. She stopped, first, where her brothers were standing. Peter looked up at her with eyes brimming with tears.

"Don't…" he started.

"I know," Susan said gently. She gingerly placed her hand on her brother's cold cheek and gave him a meek smile. She then turned and followed Caspian into the fortress.

When she entered, she found herself in the armory, where all of those who had fought were now swarming, clinging to loved ones and nursing any injuries sustained. There was much talk of what would happen next: how the Telmarines would attack, what would happen if they all died, where they would find proper troops. Susan saw Caspian edge away from the crowd and enter a path that lead to the room that he was occupying.

"You, centaur," Susan suddenly called gently to a female centaur that was cantering right in front of her.

"Rowena, my Lady," the centaur bowed.

"Yes, Rowena. Is there any way you could please fetch me a bowl of water and some cloth?"

The centaur looked towards the hall that Caspian had just entered. She chuckled. "Of course, Your Majesty." She turned and left to do as she was asked.

Susan dried her eyes on the back of her hand. She had never really been part of a battle before, and she was surprised that it had made her feel this way. Unfastening her breastplate and giving it to a dwarf that offered to mend the raid's damages to it, Susan resolved that she would never expect a victory again; the lack of one had left her crestfallen.

Rowena soon returned with a small wooden bowl filled with water and a cloth. "You may want to add a drop of your sister's healing potion to this, my Queen," the centaur suggested kindly. "It may help to quicken the healing in our prince's arm."

Susan looked at the centaur in disbelief. "How could you…?" she began.

"We centaurs are wise, Your Majesty. We can see with more than just our eyes."

"Of course," Susan breathed. "Thank you for your advice, Rowena. I am very grateful for it."

Susan then turned to find Lucy. She looked about the armory, and it did not take long to find her young sister consoling a group of fawns and dwarfs. Lucy was always kindhearted and thus always drew crowds in times of hopelessness and despair.

"Lucy," Susan called to her, "can I ask a favor of you?"

"Of course," the small child smiled.

"Can I use just a drop of your healing potion?" She held out the bowl for her sister.

Lucy promptly withdrew her bottle of the magical draught and took off the lid. "Whatever do you need it for?" she asked Susan as she began to add a drop to the bowl.

"A centaur, Rowena, told me that the potion may quicken the healing of the wounds of some of our soldiers," Susan calmly explained.

"Any soldier in particular?" Lucy giggled as she returned the bottle to her waist.

"No," Susan replied quickly. She looked into the bowl, and seeing that the task was done, the water now a reddish color, said, "Thank you, Lucy. I'll be seeing you later, then."

Before anyone could say another word, she turned on her heal and headed with the bowl carefully in her hands towards the chambers of Prince Caspian.


	5. Chapter 5

"May I come in?" Susan called into the room of the prince. "It's Susan."

"Yes, do," Caspian responded.

When Susan entered the room, she found the prince sitting on the edge of what seemed to be a bed that was fashioned on top of a tomb. Seeing such a strange sight made her quite thankful for her lodgings of slumber on the floor of her temporary room. The prince's armor was lying on the ground and a few candles lit the bleak and ancient room. It was strange to Susan that this room seemed so old; the last time that she and her siblings had visited Narnia, it hadn't even been built.

Seeing that Susan was intending to care for the wound, Caspian gently pushed the sleeve of his shirt to the side, revealing his chest and upper arm. The latter was covered in blood and gashed deeply. Susan quickly drew a sharp breath, partially because she had not expected the wound to be so deep, and partially because she was not expecting to see Caspian's chest as well as his arm.

"I think I have something that might help with that," Susan said meekly.

Caspian looked up at her with gentle eyes. Susan took this as an acceptance of her medical aid, and moved forward to help the prince. She knelt on the ground beside where Caspian was sitting and placed the bowl at her side, dipping the cloth into it as she did so.

"I'm sorry," Susan said as she looked up at the prince and drew his arm closer to her, "but this may sting quite a bit."

Susan took the cloth and pressed it to Caspian's arm. He backed away and drew a sharp breath, causing Susan to withdraw the cloth and gasp. Caspian gingerly held his arm with his unharmed hand.

"What is that?" he asked in disbelief of the pain it had caused.

"It's Lucy's healing draught mixed with water. A centaur told me it would hasten the healing. I'm so sorry. But look, I can see it getting better already," Susan encouraged.

Sure enough, the wound had already shrunk in size, and it did not appear to be as deep as it was before.

Caspian looked Susan in the eye. He then returned his arm to her care, and braced himself for the stinging sensation to return. Susan placed one hand on the bed to steady herself and returned the cloth to Caspian's arm. He, again, made a sharp intake of air and at the same time grasped Susan's free hand. Susan did not remove the cloth, but looked up into Caspian's face. She searched for his gaze, which was still contorted with the pain of the potion, until she found it. Caspian's expression calmed, and he realized that he was clutching Susan's hand rather tightly.

"Forgive me," he softly apologized, letting go of her.

"No, not at all," Susan said looking away, her face beginning to feel hot. She made the excuse of dropping the cloth back into the bowl to not look at him. "It was nothing."

When she did, however, dare to look again at Caspian, she found he was intently staring at her, his countenance quite changed. His face now held a look of curiosity and longing, rather than that of pain and shame. She gazed back into his deep eyes for a moment, quite forgetting herself. Brought back by the warmth and wetness of the cloth that was in her hands, Susan blinked and looked away from Caspian's face to his arm, pressing the cloth, once more, to it.

Though this time, Caspian did not flinch. Susan could feel his intense gaze burning into her, but she dared not look, for the fear that she would not be able to look away. She, instead, intently cleaned the wound, now seeing that it had almost disappeared and that most of the blood had soaked into the cloth.

To keep her thoughts from how hot she was, yet again, becoming, Susan tried to strike up a conversation with the young prince. "I am so sorry that this happened to you. It must have hurt."

Caspian sighed and gave his signature small smile. "I should have detected my uncle's treachery long ago," he sighed. "From now on, I will judge those around me with greater care."

Susan became curious suddenly, wondering how he would judge her. She almost made to ask him, but she quickly decided against it, feeling embarrassed yet again, and found her face growing ever hotter. She continued to clean the wound.

"You have sharp skill with a bow," Caspian commented, breaking the silence. He seemed to have caught on to Susan's idea of holding a conversation to excuse moments of passion.

"Thank you," Susan smiled, intently tending to the wound. "I learned the last time we visited."

"And what was that like?" Caspian quickly questioned. "Was it better than this time?"

"Last time, I didn't ever have the notion that we would die," she said somewhat jokingly, still not daring to look Caspian in the eye. "Narnia has really changed from what I have known it to be. It's so much more savage, and a lot less hopeful."

"Hope has returned with you, m' lady," Caspian said.

"I suppose it has," Susan agreed, "just not to the degree that it was at before. But I always expected that Narnia would change. After all, it's been so long. Regardless, I am very glad to be back. To answer your question, I think it's too early to tell which journey to Narnia I like best. It would be wise to give this one its proper time, don't you think?"

"I do indeed. But I must say, madam, if I may, that I am most glad that you have come back," Caspian said so softly, it was almost a whisper.

And again, Susan felt Caspian take her hand, although this time, he held it much more gently than he had before. His warm fingers wrapped around hers and with his thumb, he began to gingerly stroke her fingers. Susan could help it no longer. She had to look at him.

So she did, and she found that his gaze had not changed from before. His mouth, now, was the only difference; it was fixed in a small, toothless grin. Susan returned the grin and gave his hand a slight squeeze.

"There," she said gently. "You're all cleaned up."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Caspian smiled.

"Is that better?" she asked softly.

"Yes," he breathed. "Much better."

The pair continued to gaze into one another's eyes, clutching hands all the while. With his free hand, Caspian stroked Susan's cheek and jaw. She felt her skin blush bright beneath his touch. The blush was so intense that Susan was certain that Caspian must have felt it. Felt it, and done nothing.

Internally, a war was waging. His fingers on her skin felt so wrong and yet so right; his eyes upon hers felt undeserved and bewildering; being alone with him felt both forbidden and heavenly. How could someone that she just met make her feel so strongly, make her emotions battle her sense of reason? Wildly her mind resisted that this could be happening, but her soul spoke louder than her mind.

Susan placed her hand on top of Caspian's, which was still lingering on her cheek. "Caspian," she began.

"Shhh," he interrupted. "Don't speak."

Caspian continued to stroke Susan's cheek with his fingers, even though his hand was trapped beneath hers. Susan strained her neck to continue looking up at him. They sat like that for a while, holding hands a staring into one another's eyes.

If this was not bliss, Susan did not know what was. The look of Caspian's eye, the smile she put on his face, the touch of his hand on her cheek – all of it made Susan's heart nearly explode with joy. She felt her insides boiling, burning her very being with the knowledge that right now, in this moment, Caspian was entirely focused and fixed on her. No one else, only Susan the Gentle, Queen of Narnia.

"My queen," Caspian whispered in his sweetly accented voice after a long moment, "the sun is almost in the sky."

Sure enough, it was. Susan turned from Caspian and could see it climbing up the sky through a crack in the stone room. It was well past daybreak. Her body suddenly reminded her of how much sleep it lacked; she had not rested since that night in the forest, about a day and a half ago. She yawned, and turned back to Caspian. He returned his hand to her face, and gave a small laugh.

"We should both rest now, my lady," Caspian said sweetly and softly.

"Susan," she said. "Please call me Susan."

"Susan," he whispered, savoring the feel of her name on his tongue, stroking her face.

She smiled in return. "Caspian," she breathed.

"We should both rest."

"War will soon be upon us."

"They will be here before dawn of the next day."

"So soon?" Susan questioned, the concern she felt causing her voice to raise and draw back from Caspian a little. For the second time since she met Caspian, she found herself asking, "What do you think will happen?"

Caspian leaned forward from his seat on the bed to return his hand to Susan's face. "I cannot say. You need not be afraid, though. We know what we're up against, and this time we will defeat them." Susan cast him an unsure look. "But do not let these troubles plague you now, Susan. Go, and rest."

"I wish Aslan were here," Susan confessed, holding both of Caspian's hands as she got up. "He would know what to do."

"He would want you to be brave, for your sister and brothers. For Narnia."

"And brave I shall be. Or at least try, anyway," Susan said, smiling. She gave Caspian's hands a tight squeeze before releasing them and heading to the door.

"Susan?" he called as she was almost out of the room.

"Yes?" she responded, turning back to look at him.

"Sweet dreams," he said after smiling at her for a moment.

"The same to you," she said, before turning and leaving Caspian to rest, and to do the same herself.


	6. Chapter 6

_It's twilight, _Susan thought to herself.

Standing on the edge of an almost balcony – it was more of a platform of stone – outside of the tomb, she watched as the stars began to appear in the sky. They twinkled and flickered, seemingly dying out only to return with more life and vivacity than before. The night was quiet, like the deep breath before the plunge; at the same time the next day, her life would never be the same. Waiting on the edge of battle, not knowing what would happen, was driving Susan towards insanity. She was so consumed and overwhelmed by anxious fear and curiosity that she could not eat and had slept very little.

"It's all happening so fast," she whispered to the darkness.

And indeed it was. She had hardly been in Narnia for three days, and already she had encountered a destroyed palace, a horrid battle, a journey across the country, and the loss of the greatest hero of all. Without Aslan, Susan saw no possible chance for victory. All she saw was defeat and tragedy, often picturing her dying siblings in her mind. She dreamed about it while she had slept during the day. Little darling Lucy was not breathing, blood pooling at her side, Edmund was clutching at his stomach, falling to the ground with a cry of discomfort, and Peter was lying motionless, the pain his piercing delivered leaving his face contorted. The image poisoned her thoughts and haunted her every waking moment.

Then, there was Caspian. Susan could hardly believe that she had only met him about a day and a half ago. The power that he held over her, his humility and kindness, how comfortable she felt with him – it felt as though she had know Caspian for all of her life, and that they were meant to be together in the way that they were. Susan was sure that she was falling in love with Prince Caspian.

It scared her. What would she do if Caspian was badly wounded our killed during the war? Surely, she would not be able to cope with the loss of the first man that she had really ever cared about, save for her brothers. And if they did all somehow survive the following day's events, would the pair be able to love each other? Would Peter, stubborn and concerned, interfere, forbidding the relationship? Would Edmund or Lucy treat their sister differently for loving the prince? What if the four siblings had to leave Narnia? What in Aslan's name was Susan to do?

_Aslan…_

How Susan longed for the Lion. She wished to see him, to talk to him, to feel safe in his presence once more. Susan knew that the internal conflict that she was now experiencing would not even exist if Aslan were with them. She would be able to seek his wise advice and counsel about all that she was troubled with. Having Aslan near would also make the ever-approaching dawn a lot less ominous. He would help Peter and Caspian to win the battle with great ease, and he would restore freedom and peace to Narnia.

"Aslan," Susan whispered to the dark, urging her words forth so that the brave Lion might somehow hear her, "Narnia needs you. I need you. Please, Aslan, come back. Come back, I need you. Ease my troubles, protect the ones I love. We need your help. Come back, Aslan. Please come back."

In her mind, she kept repeating these words, wishing with every fiber of her being that somehow the great Lion would hear her. She knew, however, that it was almost impossible. She did not doubt the power of Aslan, for she had seen him defeat death once before. Rather, she doubted herself, wondering if she was worthy of Aslan's magic, compassion, and concern.

"My Queen," a voice said, interrupting her thoughts.

Susan turned around and saw Rowena, the centaur from before, standing at the entrance to the tomb. She looked gravely concerned.

"What is it, Rowena?" Susan asked, deeply curious and almost worried.

"You had better come quickly, my lady."

Susan abandoned the thoughts that were harboring so strongly in her mind only moments ago and followed the centaur inside, her worry increasing with each step.


	7. Chapter 7

Upon entering the room, Susan couldn't believe her eyes. The shattered Stone Table in the center of it was the only thing that was left unchanged. Everything else was absolutely disturbed. Broken stone littered the whole of the room, and Susan saw her brother Edmund fighting a werewolf. The agile beast kept pouncing at Edmund, and the image of her dead brother flashed once more past Susan's eyes. She turned to see Lucy and Trumpkin taking turns fighting Nikabrik, who was threatening each of them with a small knife. An old hag lay dead on the floor nearby. She reached quickly for an arrow to help her siblings, but then suddenly realized that all of her weaponry was still in her room. All that Susan could do was observe the scene in utter shock and abhorrence.

She realized that she was quite cold, and looked across the Stone Table to see that a block of ice had formed in the archway above it. Susan was quite confused. How could ice form in the middle of the archway, and only just? She then noticed that in the ground, there was a white and crystal staff of sorts, seemingly stuck. She had seen it somewhere before…it looked so familiar…but it couldn't be…

It was. Sure enough, in the ice, Susan saw the figure of Jadis, the White Witch, swimming, reaching out her hand to her brother Peter. She was speaking in a voice much too soft to be heard, but Susan knew what she was trying to do. She was trying to persuade Peter to bring her back to life, out of the ice and once again into Narnia.

"No!" Susan shouted. She ran over to the scene and pushed her brother out of the way. She noticed, as she watched Peter fall to the ground, that Caspian lay there, too. He was looking at the White Witch with a bemused and bedazzled expression, obviously curious and trapped under her seductive spell.

"One drop of Adam's blood," Jadis said, trying to allure Peter into setting her free. Once he was out of the way, however, she turned her attention to Susan. "Or perhaps Queen Susan would like to bring me back? After all, with Aslan missing, who will help you win this great war that is at hand?"

"I'll help you when hell freezes over," Susan jeered. She didn't even consider accepting Jadis's help; she knew what treachery and evil she was capable of, and she did not want to risk the future safety of her siblings and all Narnians for the present stability of the nation in war.

Then, many things happened at once. Lucy let out a ear-piercing scream as she used her small knife to slice the throat of Nikabrik. She had never seemed so fierce and unforgiving in all her life, and Susan was very surprised and proud of her. She then turned to see that Caspian was rising to his feet once more and was approaching the block of ice. His hand was stained with blood and bore a cut across the palm. He reached it out, wanting to touch the White Witch Jadis. Susan looked at him in complete and utter shock, and was about to push him back to the ground to prevent him from reawakening the great and terrible evil. Then, the end of a sword appeared through the block of ice, taking both of them by surprise. It made its way directly through Jadis's stomach. She let out a horrendous and earth-shattering scream as the ice broke from all around her. Susan ducked to the ground and covered her head. When no more ice fell, she looked up and saw that the witch was gone.

"I know, you had it sorted," Edmund addressed Peter. He was holding his sword proudly in his hands as he emerged from behind where the great block of ice had been.

Breathing deeply, Susan rose to her feet. "What happened?" she demanded of all those around her.

"Nikabrik brought the hag and the werewolf here and together they brought back the White Witch with the help of our young prince," Trumpkin answered solemnly. "They cast a spell on him; she tempted him. Then your brothers, Queen Lucy, and myself came in 'cause of the ruckus. And, well, you know what happened from there."

"Is it true what he says?" asked Susan in fury.

"Yes," Caspian said shamefully.

"How could you?" she wondered. She was now in an outrage. "Why would you possibly ever want to bring back the one woman that almost murdered both of my brothers, tried to kill Aslan, and kept Narnia under a reign of coldness and cruelty for a hundred years? Would you subject us to such an atrocity and peril again? Would you sacrifice our freedom, our lives, for one victory?"

All that Caspian could do was look down in guilt and shame, knowing that Susan had every right to be as angry as she was. Susan herself was stunned that he could be so easily seduced and spellbound.

"And you," Susan continued, now attacking Peter, "you know what she is. You know what she's done. How could you possibly think that she would ever change? With one hand she would cast down the forces of Telmar, and with the other oppress every living creature in Narnia! You know better, High King."

"Susan, enough," Edmund interjected. "They know what they did was wrong, and your excessive scolding isn't necessary."

"It could have ended far worse than it did," Lucy reasoned.

Susan, still cooling off from having reached her boiling point, remained silent.

"Well, one thing remains unseen," Trumpkin said, disturbing the quiet.

"And what would that be?" Susan questioned, speaking much more calmly than before.

"We still don't have any sort of a plan."

Trumpkin was right. All the incident had brought to light was how much they lacked organization, strength, and courage for battle. The Narnians were bereft of what the White Witch had promised Caspian, Peter, and Susan – the ability to win the battle in their current state.

"Very well," Peter said. "We'll need to come up with some sort of strategy, then. I'll go and round up the others; we'll need as much help as we can get."

"I'll go with you," Lucy and Edmund said at the same time.

All three of them trailed out of the room, Trumpkin promptly following his new and dear friend Lucy, leaving Caspian and Susan very much alone.


	8. Chapter 8

Susan sat down on the edge of the Stone Table, running her fingers through her dark hair as she did so. A rather large sigh escaped from her mouth, vocalizing her anxiety. Caspian promptly sad next to her, but the two dared not to look at one another. Susan felt bad for losing her temper; of course the actions of Caspian and Peter weren't exactly rash, nor were they to be taken lightly, but the were not unforgivable. As Lucy had said, it could have ended much worse. The White Witch could have been brought back to life, and then the trouble that Narnia would be in would be unfathomable. They would have to fight two forces at once, or perhaps the White Witch would help them, only to win Narnia for herself. But the White Witch remained as she should, dead and a distant memory, and Susan had chastised the two men too harshly.

This guilt on its own was bad enough, but Susan was now alone in Aslan's tomb with Caspian, so of course she felt it in excess. If it were under any other circumstances at any other time that she and Caspian were alone, Susan would have been the happiest being in all of Narnia. But she had lost her temper, had let her mind wander too far, and was now regretting it deeply. The pair sat in awkward silence, still not even daring to look at one another. It seemed so strange to Susan that it had turned out this way. Their stolen moment in Caspian's room earlier that same day had felt as though it were a life age away from the current moment. Her feelings toward Caspian had not changed at all, but she feared that she had ruined things with her "logical" analyzation and overreaction to the events of a few moments past.

She wanted so badly to speak, to atone for what she had said, but she could not find the proper words to do so. Susan partially attributed this lack of words to her pride. It held her tongue, not wanting to admit that she was at fault and to blame for any of the trouble that had passed a few moments ago. Susan was quite comfortable with never being in the wrong, and she would hate to say that she was in the opposite policy. But she did not attribute it wholly to her smugness; her heart also played a huge part in her tacit disposition. Susan cared deeply for the man, and she did not know how to properly apologize for someone that she regarded so highly. What words do you say when you have offended someone that you have deep feelings for? Susan didn't know. After all, she had never before felt so strongly about someone in all her life.

"Susan?" Caspian's shaky voice asked quite abruptly, catching Susan off guard.

"Yes?" she responded meekly, still not looking towards him.

"Susan, I'm so sorry," he said now turning and searching for her gaze. "It was wrong of me. I know the pain that she has caused you and your family. I let her tempt me too easily. All I wanted was a way out of this alive, for all of us. I forgot what it would mean to myself and all of Narnia, and I forgot what it would mean to you. I'm so sorry."

Susan turned and looked him in the eye, holding back tears of frustration and rue. "It is I who should apologize," she said after a moment's silence. "Caspian, I'm so sorry. I lost my temper; I overreacted. It was wrong of me to go off on you like that. I know what a power the witch can hold over her subjects. Please do forgive me."

"I do forgive you, Susan," Caspian smiled, taking her hand.

"And I, you," she smiled in return. "It's just…I don't see a way out of all of this, and it's all happening so fast – the war, Narnia changing...and us. My dreams, my thoughts are haunted by the worst possible results of tomorrow's battle. Is there any hope?"

"Susan," Caspian breathed. He brought her hand to his lips, kissed it, and returned it to her his lap. "There is always hope."

Susan would have embraced him, but she could not, for a _clank_ sounded in the hall leading to the tomb. Susan and Caspian quickly released hands and separated themselves for worry of who was approaching. It was only Edmund, not Peter as Susan had feared, accompanied by a bear, Reepicheep the mouse, and Truffelhunter the badger.

"What's going on?" Edmund asked as he entered the room. He raised an eyebrow in suspicion, having walked into the room to see Susan and Caspian hastily separate themselves.

"Nothing," Susan answered almost too quickly for comfort. "We were only talking."

"Really?" Edmund continued. Both eyebrows were now very much raised. "You were sitting awfully close for holding a conversation."

"Well I didn't know that it was a crime for wanting to hear what someone else is saying," Susan retorted hotly.

The badger settled himself between Susan and Caspian, and that seemed to have helped Susan's case, for Edmund stopped jeering at the two. He gave his sister a look and made to walk past her. As he reached Susan's side, she abruptly stood up. Her mouth was in line with her younger brother's ear.

"Don't tell Peter," she whispered. She then sat back down and looked up at Edmund for a response. He shot her a look of both curiosity and surprise and nodded to her once, just as Lucy, Trumpkin, Peter entered the room.

"My King," Trufflehunter addressed him, "we are ready. What is your plan?"


	9. Chapter 9

"Send this little girl into the deepest, darkest part of the forest alone when war is on our door step? _That_ is our plan?" Trumpkin couldn't believe his ears.

Peter had decided, and Lucy, Edmund, and Susan agreed, that the only hope for victory that the Narnians had was in Aslan, and that it was thus necessary to find him. The children were quite convinced that he was in the forest, as Lucy had seen him, for they could never imagine him abandoning Narnia at its time of dire need. They were assured that he was out there, waiting for them to come and find him. Lucy was, after all, a very honest girl, and she wouldn't have made up a story about seeing the Lion for attention or any other assortment of reasons that children have for inventing tales. It was, then, to be believed. Aslan was always there when needed in the past, and the Pevensies saw no reason that that would change now.

The Narnians and Caspian were, however, a bit harder to persuade, for they were not so certain in their beliefs of Aslan as the Kings and Queens of Old were. The Great Lion had not been seen in Narnia for nearly a thousand years, and many of them had not even heard of he Lon until the Pevensies had arrived. How were they to believe that he would be there now? And why would he not just come; why did he need to be sought out? Why did he abandon Narnia in the first place? And would he even be willing to help this time? The Narnians didn't understand the way that the Lion worked as the children did, nor did they understand that, as Lucy said, nothing happens the same way twice.

"It's our only chance," urged Peter. He knew that there was no other way.

"And she won't be going alone," Susan spoke up. Everyone turned to look at her.

Trumpkin approached her and Lucy, who were standing next to each other, with a look of sorrowful shock on his face. "Haven't enough of us died already?" He could see hope that the Telmarines could be defeated.

"We cannot so easily lose hope, Trumpkin," Trufflehunter said. "These Kings and Queens have not, and nor have I. We must now put our faith in the Great Lion Aslan."

"How long will this take?" Trumpkin asked, addressing Queen Susan.

"There is no way of telling," Susan answered honestly.

"We have to hold them off until they get back," Peter said.

"And what if they don't come back?" Trumpkin was now very concerned.

"We will," Susan said with great certainty and dignity. "We will come back."

"But you could be killed!"

"And that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make!" She was now on her feet. Susan felt so strongly that Aslan was out there somewhere, waiting to be found that she was willing to risk her life to find him. She knew that there was no other way.

"If I may," Caspian said, speaking for the first time during the whole meeting. When no one protested, he stood up and continued. "Miraz may be a murderous and foul bastard of a king—"

"Rightly put," Reepicheep interjected.

"—But king he is. And as the King of Telmar, he must abide by the nation's laws, expectations, and traditions. There is one in particular that may buy us more time."

"We're listening," said Peter with great interest.

"It is a long held Telmarine tradition," Caspian continued, "that if challenged to a duel, the King cannot refuse, for it will endanger his reputation with the people. If you, King Peter, challenge him to a duel, the Queens would have more time to find Aslan, and Narnia's beings will be safer for longer than they otherwise would."

"Do you think you could beat him, Peter?" asked Susan.

"Will you be alright?" worried Lucy.

"When can we start?" asked Edmund.

"It's the best shot we've got," Peter said, clasping Caspian on the shoulder. "Let's do it."

xXxXxXxXxXx

The meeting slowly began to disband, and Susan walked over to her brother. He was talking to Trufflehunter, Reepicheep, and Edmund about the duel that was to come. They were telling him that the challenge must be presented formally, and that a document requesting the king to fight was necessary. Edmund, Reepicheep, and Trufflehunter left to go draw up such a document, and Susan and Peter were left alone in Aslan's tomb. Upon hearing his sister's gown rustling near him, Peter turned to face her.

"You and Lu should be leaving," he said solemnly.

"Yes, I know. Caspian's gone to ready his horse for us, and Lucy is getting our gear." She then placed her hand on her brother's cheek. "Are you sure you want to do this? You don't have to."

"It's our only hope," he answered softly. "I must."

Susan gave him a small smile. "Your courage will do you well." She then pulled her brother into a hug. "Do be safe," she urged him, sorry that this was the path that must be taken.

"I will, Sue," he said, returning the embrace.

She released Peter and gave him one more loving look, fearing that it would be her last, and turned to go meet Caspian and his horse before Peter could see tears falling from her cheeks.


	10. Chapter 10

"Susan," Caspian called. She had reached the back exit to the tomb, and found Caspian standing there with his horse nearby. The saddle was already on, and Caspian had been standing there as though he were waiting only for Susan. He walked over to her and took both of her hands, leading her to his steed. He smiled at her and squeezed her hands. "How much time do you have?" Caspian intended to stay with Susan for every moment that he possibly could.

"Lucy should be here in but five minutes," she answered.

"So soon?" he replied, stopping, although they had a few more paces to go until they would reach the stallion. His voice was shaky.

All that Susan could do was give him a look of both longing and sorrow, regretful that the battle was almost here and that she did not have a chance to spend more time with Caspian. _I, too, wish we had longer_, she said with here eyes.

Before she could think of another word to say, Susan found herself being swept up into Caspian's arms. He held fast to her, his head buried in her hair, and Susan returned the embrace, never wishing to let go of him. How inconvenient it was for all of this to be happening now. Susan was certain now that she loved Prince Caspian very much, or was at least beginning to if she didn't already. But this could not have happened at a more dreadful time. The ever-approaching battle had the potential to serve as the catalyst in their relationship. They had hardly met, had hardly fallen for each other, and now they were only to be separated, to be torn apart by the encroaching war.

Her mind was racing. She didn't know what to do. As each moment sped past her, she knew that she came closer and closer to the moment during which she would have to leave Caspian, perhaps for the last time, and ride off into the unknown. The uncertainty was nearly driving her to tears. She wanted so much to hold on to Caspian forever, and to never be parted from him again, but she knew that that was currently impossible. The though that she might never have the chance to touch him, to look at him, to hear his sweet voice again was both tormenting and torturing her.

"How I wish we had more time," Susan whispered.

"We will," Caspian smiled, refusing to believe that this was the end.

Susan gave him a sad smile back.

"Come back," he whispered softly in her ear, expressing how much he wanted Susan to return. "Come back to me."

Then, putting the logic aside, Susan backed away from Caspian a bit. His hand still on her waist, she moved both of her hands to his face. She then stood as tall as she could and kissed him. It was short and it was sweet, but it would have to do for now, because Susan could hear her sister approaching. She withdrew her lips and opened her mouth as though to say something. Unable to think of proper words to express how she was feeling, she closed her lips and tore herself away from Caspian's embrace and got on the horse, looking down all the while.

Lucy arrived to see Susan climbing on the steed. She handed her sister her bow, quiver, and breastplate. As Susan was assembling her battle gear, Caspian picked up Lucy and put her behind her sister on the horse. Susan avoided his gaze all the while, busying herself with her weapons and armor for fear that she would shed tears if she looked upon the handsome face of Caspian once more.

"Good luck, dear one," Caspian said to Lucy gently. "Our hope now lies in you."

"And in Aslan," Lucy added cheerfully.

Caspian chuckled quietly, and then turned his attention to Queen Susan.

"Susan," he sung.

How sweetly he said her name. He tasted it first, and then, enjoying its flavor, savored it on his lips, never wanting to let the taste escape him. Susan could bare it no longer; she finally looked at him, his sweet eyes touched with a glisten of hope, fear, and remorse. Susan could feel her eyes mirroring her Prince Caspian's, and knew that they were probably forming small tears in the corners.

"Ride hard," he said sternly.

"We will," she responded.

He then submerged his hand into his shirt. When he withdrew it, he held Susan's magical horn, the one that had summoned the Pevensies back to Narnia to help in this hour of dire need.

"I suppose you'll be wanting this back," he said.

_You keep it_, Susan thought. _Something to remember me by._

Knowing that she could not say something so bold in front of Lucy, so she chose her words more carefully. "You keep it. You may need to call me again."

The pair shared one last smile. There was nothing left to say, nothing left to do that could delay the two Queens of Narnia from leaving any longer. Though she didn't want to, Susan kicked her heels into the horse, and turned to watch Caspian fade into the distance as the stallion carried her away.


	11. Chapter 11

The horse trotted quickly throughout the forest. It carried the two girls deeper and deeper into the woods and away from the war. Susan was very glad that Lucy was behind her holding her waist so that she couldn't see the tears streaming from her eyes. Susan was not crying, for she didn't want to believe that she would never see Caspian again, but she could not hold back the tears that came pouring out due to the nature of her meeting with Caspian. He had promised that they would have more time together, but Susan couldn't understand how he was so certain. She, on the other hand, was indeed very worried about how the battle would pan out. She feared losing the ones that she loved, Caspian included.

But she was not without hope. It was what kept her going, riding hard, as Caspian had encouraged her to do. She urged the horse forward with all of her might, whispering to it to show her the meaning of haste and to find Aslan. The steed responded quite well, bounding throughout the forest in search of the Great Lion. Susan knew that if they were successful, if Aslan was found, then they would all be saved, and she would be able to return to Caspian.

She still heard the words he had whispered in her ear. _Come back. Come back to me._

"Susan!" Lucy suddenly cried from the back of the horse.

Susan turned around to see her sister pointing to the top of a nearby hill. She followed her sister's finger and sure enough, she saw about a dozen Telmarine soldiers on horseback following the two of them.

"Dammit," Susan muttered under her breath. There was only one thing that she could do now. She knew what it was, and it scared her, but it was the only way. It was a sacrifice that she needed to make. For Aslan, and for Narnia.

For Caspian.

Susan slowed the horse to a stop and then got off.

"What are you doing?" Lucy asked in horror.

"It looks like you're going alone after all," Susan told her sister. "You'll ride faster with just you, and someone has to get these Telmarines off you tail." She handed Lucy the reigns. "Go," she urged the confused girl. "I'll be fine. Go!"

Lucy kicked the horse to a start and rode off into the distance, watching her sister with tears falling from her cheeks as she disappeared.

Susan now had something else to worry about. The Telmarines were not long on the hill; they were now no more than fifty feet away. Susan drew an arrow from her quiver and loaded it into her bow. She made the shot and hit the nearest Telmarine, causing him to fall from his horse to the ground, only to be trampled by his fellow soldiers. Susan repeated this several times, stopping more than half of the horsemen.

It was all going very well, until she was attacked from behind. She had heard the soldier behind her move, and she turned around just in time to stick the arrow she was about to load through his throat. When she turned around, however, the remaining horsemen were much closer than she had judged, and she did not have proper time to load her bow. In that split second, Susan was in a panic. She feared for her sister, that she would be caught by the remaining soldiers that Susan was unable to kill and that Aslan would never be found. She feared for her brothers, that they would parish in the battle due to her failure to help Lucy find Aslan safely. She feared for Caspian, that he too would fall in the war, and that it would be her fault because she was weak. She also feared for herself, that she would killed or taken captive, never to see Lucy, Peter, Edmund, or Caspian ever again.

_Come back. Come back to me._

Then, almost out of thin air, Caspian appeared in front of Susan, fighting the soldier that had almost killed Susan. Susan took a deep breath to releve the momentary shock that she had felt and then continued to shoot at the remaining horsemen. Susan killed many, as did Caspian, until she was certain that the two were safe.

"Susan!" Caspian suddenly yelled.

She then understood that she was not yet safe from harm, and that she was about to be attacked from behind. Caspian, now done fighting the horsemen who had originally threatened Susan, tossed his sword to Susan. She saw it flying in the air, so she dropped her bow. In one swift and fluid movement, she caught it by the hilt, swung it around her head, turned to face the Telmarine, and brought the sword around in front of her, beheading the traitor.

Breathing deeply, Susan lowered Caspian's weapon. The attack was over, all of the Telmarines killed. They had won.

"Susan," Caspian called. He rode over to her and got off of his horse.

Susan, then, dropped the sword and hastened towards him. Caspian received her in one arm and cupped his other hand around Susan's jaw, bringing it toward his lips to kiss. Susan, in response, flung her arms around his neck and kissed him back. They stood like that for a moment, kissing each other in the depths of the forest with the dead bodies of the Telmarines littered around them. It was beautiful.

"We should get back," Susan said as their lips parted for a moment. "Peter will be needing us."

"Yes, I suppose he will," Caspian smiled.

He stroked her cheek once more and turned to retrieve his sword as Susan got on his horse. He got on in front of her and Susan wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Don't let go," he smirked, turning around as he kicked the horse into a gallop.

"You've nothing to worry," Susan smiled back. "I won't."


	12. Chapter 12

As Caspian's horse galloped through the forest back towards the duel that was now in session, Susan prayed that her sister would be able to find Aslan. So much depended upon it. Lucy had safely made it through, and now the only thing left to do was find the Lion. Susan knew that Aslan could come and go as he pleased, and this worried her, for she did not know that Aslan was not gone, nor did she know if he was there. She did know, however, that if anyone would find Aslan, it would be Lucy, and she thus continued to urge her younger sister forward, praying that the Great Lion would be found before it was too late.

Prince Caspian's horse continued to race across the forest, and it wasn't before long that Susan could hear the distant clinging of swords and cheers of Narnians and Telmarines. Susan was quite torn; she wanted the horse to go faster, to arrive at the tomb and scene of the duel as fast as possible so she could be assured of her brother's safety, but she also did not want to relinquish her hold on Caspian. His scent intoxicated her; the feel of his body stimulated her. He had saved her life and she did not want to be parted from him at all.

Soon, they had reached the edge of the forest. Susan gasped at the size of Miraz's army; it was more than four times the size of Narnia's. She heard the clanging of swords and looked to see her brother fighting Miraz. _At least he's still alive,_ she though to herself. He was doing surprisingly well against the swordsman who was at least twice his age, but this did little to calm Susan's woes.

Caspian stopped the horse just as they were about to enter the field. He turned around to face the gentle queen.

"Susan," he said gently. "I want you to know that no matter how this ends, I am glad that you have come back. I would not change it for anything the world has to offer."

"Nor would I," Susan spoke softly.

"Kiss me once more."

And she did. It was passionate and slow, the kind of kiss two lovers exchange before they are to be parted for quite some time. Susan drank in every minute of it, engraving into her mine the taste of his mouth, the feel of his cheek, and the scent of his skin. She could have kissed him like that for hours. Sitting on the horse, twisting to properly face one another was uncomfortable, but it didn't matter. Nothing else mattered at that moment. There was only Susan and Caspian.

"I love you," he whispered.

Then, a loud cheer sounded, drawing the pair away from their stolen moment. The two backed away from each other, turning to see where the cheer had sounded from. The Telmarine soldiers were sounding the triumphant call, while the Narnians stood as though on an edge of a cliff, afraid to move for fear of falling. Caspian turned around and again faced Susan. She looked at him with a worried expression once more. He kissed her again, hoping to soothe the raging fear that was storming inside of her. Their lips parted, but their faces remained close together.

"Ride," Susan managed to say. She could feel her voice sounding shaky. She pressed her lips once more to his. She knew that they could not stay, and that Peter needed them. They had to go back.

As Caspian stroked her face, she felt as though it would be the final time that he would do so. She could not bare the though of losing him.

"Susan…" he breathed.

"I love you also," she whispered.

The image flashed once more before her eyes: dead Peter, dead Lucy, dead Edmund, and, worst of all, dead Caspian.

"Come back. Come back to me," she pleaded him, her voice shaking from being on the verge of tears.

"I will," Caspian said with a voice much stronger than she could have managed herself. "I will return."

After one last short kiss, Caspian kicked the horse into action. Susan held on even tighter than before as it bounded away.

The arrived at the scene of the duel just in time, for Peter was just taking respite. He saw Susan get off of the horse with Caspian, and he widened his eyes with worry towards his sister.

"Don't worry," Susan said quite calmly. "Lucy made it through."

"Good." He sighed. "You should get up there," he continued. Susan followed his gaze to the topmost layer of the Tomb, on which dozens of Narnians were standing, bows in hand. "I don't expect the Telmarines will keep their word."

Susan gave her brother a hug. "Sorry," she said when she realized that her embrace had irritated his injured arm. "Be careful," she begged.

"I will," he promised.

Susan then turned to walk to the tomb. She saw Caspian staring at her with mournful eyes. It had come to this. This was the moment during which the two would finally have to be parted.

"Come back to me," she whispered so that only Caspian could hear.

He nodded, understand that Susan was sharing in the sorrow that he felt and also that he could not say anything, not here.

Realizing that she could remain no longer, Susan tore herself from Caspian's gaze and hastened towards the tomb.


	13. Chapter 13

"Archers, at the ready!"

Susan really should have seen it coming. First of all, Miraz and his men were Telmarines. Ergo, they were selfish, vindictive, ruthless, and did not like to outdone in anything. Secondly, the Telmarines were belligerent people; they would fight anyone they though necessary in order to further their own agendas. Miraz was at least twice the age of Peter, and he had still failed to beat him in the duel. And that was exactly what had happened. Peter had defeated Miraz in the battle, and when given the chance, he had allowed the king to keep his life. Caspian also did this when he was given the chance to make his uncle pay for his actions. Both the men showed true strength, kindness, bravery, and humility in their actions.

It's difficult to say whether these traits were refineries or flaws, for the made significant change to the course the battle would take. Peter's victory and pardon of Miraz should have put paid to the battle, ending it with hardly any bloodshed and no casualties for either party. It was not, however, this simple, due to the previously mentioned characteristics of the average Telmarine. Their hard-to-accept-defeat trait had caused the battle that was now approaching. Susan had seen her arrow in the hands of Miraz's knight, she saw him stab the king with it, and she saw him point to her and call treachery. Surely, everyone in Narnia knew that Susan never would have shot the injured king in a thousand years but apparently the belligerent Telmarines didn't know thus, and they were just looking to wipe out any opposing force that could threaten their kingdom. The fact that only a week ago, the Narnians were "extinct" probably didn't help, either.

"Take your aim!"

Susan waited, her fingers touching the corner of her mouth with her bow drawn. She watched as the Telmarine horsemen bounded across the field, charging the Narnians with all of their might. She waited for a brief moment until she knew that it would be best to shoot. Her adrenaline high and flowing, she waited until she saw the earth crumbling beneath the Telmarines. Peter and Caspian had come up with the idea to destroy the underground tombs, causing the earth to break and fall inwards. She let a small smile pass across her lips; the Telmarines were caught quite off guard and had shocked expressions at seeing the ground fall from under them.

"Fire all!" Susan shouted, letting her own arrow fling into the air. She watched as it lead the others to the Telmarines, striking a large soldier in the throat.

"Fire at will!" Susan commanded after the first group of arrows hit the soldiers. The Narnians now unleashed their arrows at all different times and speeds, hoping that they would reach their targets with great success.

Susan was very satisfied with her archers. They were very skilled and hit almost every Telmarine. In fact, Peter's troops on the ground had little fighting to do until the second flanks of Telmarines came. That was when the battle turned sour.

The Telmarines outnumbered the Narnians by far. They marched on the Narnians, surrounding them and trapping them in. It then began to rain stone on the tomb, for the Telmarines were unleashing boulders from the catapults.

"Retreat to the tombs!" Peter yelled.

But Susan knew, and Peter soon found out, that that was impossible. The Telmarine catapults had thrust stone at the tomb's entrance, blocking it from entry. The only thing that the Narnians could do now was fight for their lives.

"Brace yourselves!" Susan called to her archers as the stone fell upon them.

One boulder landed near her feet and completely demolished the ground from under her. She felt the stone crumbling beneath her feet and she tried to move, but all she could do was jump to hold on to the edge of the part of the tomb that hadn't broken away as the ground fell from under her. She was holding on with one hand, and she didn't dare look down or let go, for she had no idea how far the drop was.

"Susan!" she recognized Caspian's voice calling. "Let go and I'll catch you."

She knew that she could trust Caspian, but that didn't calm her nerves very much at all. As frightened as she was, Susan knew that she couldn't hold on for much longer, so she took a deep breath and let go. She landed after a drop that was shorter than she has imagined safely in Caspian's arms. She looked up at her savior and gave him a small smile, happy that she had landed in his arms and that he was safe. He looked back into Susan's arms, equally glad that his beloved was safe. They would have stood like that for longer, if Peter had not blown his horn. Caspian gently set Susan down on the ground, and together they ran to join Peter.

When Susan joined her two bothers, she understood the look that they were giving her. It was one she had never seen on either of their faces before, a mixture of bravery and defeat. Susan understood that the Narnians were out numbered and that, unless by some miracle Aslan came to help, they were going to die. She nodded at her brothers for one final time, showing her submission to death and a valiant end, to the Telmarines and to defeat, and to dying for Narnia.

"For Aslan!" Peter called, turning to face the Telmarines. He began running towards them, brandishing his sword, his siblings and Caspian charging behind him.

Then, something very peculiar happened. Susan swore she heard the ferocious roar of a great lion. She then felt the earth quake beneath her, and looking around judged that the others had felt too, for everyone was stopped in the motions they were taking a moment ago. Abruptly, catching nearly everyone off guard and scaring quite a few Telmarines, a tree's root sprung out of the ground. It shot across the battlefield and wrapped itself around one of the catapults and, in once forceful and crushing movement, brought it in shambles to the ground. Susan turned around and saw a whole army of trees climbing out into the battlefield, attacking everything Telmarine, save for Caspian, that crossed their paths.

Susan turned to the three that she was running with, who were of course now stopped, with an expression of joy and victory. "Lucy!" she cried to them. "Aslan!" The whole company began to laugh in joyous success as the Telmarines retreated to the forest. They were making for the river, and the Narnians, trees included, followed them.

When Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Caspian finally made it to the river, they saw a sight that none of them could believe. A huge man of water was drawing all of the Telmarines in the river to him, his strong hands crushing and breaking down upon all of the traitors. He then consumed the Telmarine soldier that had lead the country in war, seemingly placing him into his mouth and swallowing, crushing down and become, once more, just a river, as he did so. As the waves cleared, Susan saw Lucy and Aslan standing across on the opposite shore, watching the Telmarines drown and suffer.

A triumphant cheer sounded all around, coming from Minators, Fauns, Dwarfs, and animals alike. The Narnians had won.

Susan and Caspian turned to one another. Neither able to contain the joy that they were feeling for a moment longer, they kissed each other. Susan was overjoyed that the war was over. None of her siblings had died, as she had so brutally imagined, and the Narnians had been victorious. Peter, Edmund, Lucy and Caspian were unscathed, and now Narnia could return to freedom and peace. But best of all, she and Caspian could now be together, loving one another with out shame or fear that they would be torn apart by war. Susan had no fears anymore; they were all expunged. She kissed Caspian even harder, expressing the joy that she felt.

She then separated her lips from Caspian's and turned to face her brothers.

"I knew it!" Peter said.

All Susan and Caspian could do was laugh.

"I'm sure I'll understand when I'm older," Edmund said.

Now all of them laughed.

"Come on," Susan said to all of them. "There's a crossing right there," she said, pointing to a shallow bank in the river. "Let's go and see Aslan."

All four of them grinned hugely at the mention of the Great Lion's name and hastened towards the crossing to greet and thank him.


	14. Chapter 14

It was now nightfall. The Narnians set up an encampment of tents along the riverside, planning to stay the night to celebrate their victory. There was a large fire lit, and all of the Narnians were situated around it, laughing and sharing songs and stories. The overall tone was merriment and festivities, an eternal flame of joy lit both in the campfire and in all of the Narnians.

Susan and Caspian sat comfortably next to one another, Caspian's arm around Susan. It was wonderful to finally be able to be openly affectionate with one another; all of those secret, stole moments were behind them, and they were now free to love one another openly. Peter had been very accepting of Susan and Caspian's relationship. Susan thought that he would be completely ghastly about the whole thing, seeing as he and Caspian got off on the wrong foot. Susan also assumed that he would try to be the big, protective older brother like he always did, forbidding the two to be together for fear that his sister may get hurt. He, instead, often looked upon the two with a smile, hoping to someday be as happy with a woman as Caspian was with his sister Susan.

The moon started to fall from the sky and the fire was dying out. The Narnians were quite tired from the day's events, and they slowly started going to bed. Susan's siblings were among them, and soon she and Caspian were tow of the lasts ones sitting around the pile of ash.

"Will you take a walk with me, my darling?" Caspian asked Susan with a grin.

"Certainly," Susan smiled in return.

The pair got up. Caspian took Susan by the hand and lead her into the forest. The walked hidden amongst tall trees and the nighttime's veil of darkness. There was a slight chill in the air, but it made the walk all the more pleasant, for Susan enjoyed the cold and it was a nice change from the heat of the fire.

"Susan," Caspian said, stopping abruptly with a serious look on his face.

"What is it?" Susan asked, detecting the change in his expression under the moonlight.

"Susan, I love you," he said. He kissed her forehead.

"I love you also, King Caspian," she said, smiling at his new title.

"Yes, that's just it," he said. He wrapped his arms around her waist, lowering his mouth so that it was level with her ear. "I am to be crowned king and rule Telmar," he whispered, "and every king needs a queen. Susan, I love you, more than anything or anyone. The thought of losing you during the battle drove me almost to torment. It would have killed me to lose you. Now that we are together again, I wish never to be parted from you, from this day forward. Please, be my bride. Marry me. Stay with me always, be my Queen. My Queen, my own. I love you. Will you have me?"

"You ask a lot of me, my King," Susan whispered gently. "I would happily give myself to you."

Caspian swept Susan up in to the air and swung her around in his exhilaration. When her returned her to the ground, the two shared the most passionate kiss either of them could have imagined. Susan was so much in love with Caspian, and the though of marrying him, staying eternally by his side, filled her from her toes to her head with joy. She was so happy that he had felt the same way that she had during the battle, consumed with worry and fear of losing a loved one. Now they were reunited, and the possibility of never having to leave Caspian ever again made Susan smile, even as she kissed her beloved.

"There's only one problem," Susan said when their lips had parted.

"What is it?" Caspian said, deeply concerned.

"My siblings."

"Ah, yes, I thought that they might serve as a problem."

"If I stay here forever with you, then they must also remain. It would take a bit of convincing, but I may be able to persuade them." Growing concerned, she continued, "It is a large sacrifice for them to make."

"Queen Susan the Gentle," Caspian whispered, stroking her cheek. "Always thinking kindly of others. Do not let these worries trouble you now. No matter what they decide, I will always love you, and nothing can change that. But for now, we must rest, for we have a long journey back to Telmar ahead of us."

Greatful for his understanding, Susan kissed him once again, knowing that it would not be the last time she did so. The two held hands for as long as the could as they parted to retire to their own tents.


	15. Chapter 15

The company packed up in the morning and made for Telmar. Susan and Caspian spent much of the journey riding on their horses along side one another, laughing as the company made jokes and shouting to one another to be heard over the pounding of hooves across the earth. The journey was pleasant for all of the company; Caspian and Susan enjoyed riding together at the head of the band, Peter watched his sister and the prince interact with great interest, wondering if he, too, would one day find such a love, Edmund enjoyed trying to ride as fast as the centaurs, urging his horse forward with pleasure and poise, and Lucy was pleased to ride with Trumpkin, talking to her dear little friend all the while. Even Aslan seemed to be enjoying himself, a smile often stretched across his wise and great face. Overall, the band of Narnians made good time and had reached the Telmarine palace before dusk.

Once they had arrived, the visiting Narnians set up camp again outside of the palace while the four Kings and Queens of Old were given lodgings inside the castle walls. Susan loved the stone room that she had been assigned to, its window overlooking the courtyard and its furnishings elaborate and beautiful. It was located next to the rooms of Lucy and Edmund, and next to Edmund was Peter's room.

It was well after sunset, now, and Susan had just retreated to her chambers after the celebratory feast. It was full of fine food and dancing, and Susan was feeling quite tired, as well as very well satisfied. She took off her gown and proceeded to put on her dressing gown and her robe. Even these clothes were fine, for Caspian had seen that all the Pevensies had been afforded with the most illustrious accommodations and refineries. Susan was just about to blow out her candle and go to bed when she looked out the window and saw Aslan walking with her siblings in the courtyard. The three Kings and Queen were still fully dressed, and they were holding a conversation with the Great Lion in an apparently serious manner, grave looks cast upon all of their brows. Susan was suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling that she was the person that was being talked about and that she was intruding, so she backed away from the window.

"Susan," Aslan's voice called. It was not loud, but it was deep and large.

She returned to the window as a sigh escaped from her mouth.

"Come down and talk with us," the Lion said as he saw Susan's face appear once more in the window.

Reluctantly, Susan sighed, stepped down, and retreated from her room. She feared what the Lion would have to say. Susan could tell that the conversation that her siblings and Aslan had been having was indeed about her, and she could only assume, and she was correct, that it dealt with the proposal of marriage that Caspian had presented to Susan the previous day. Of course Aslan had known about it; he knew about everything, so Susan knew that this could not have possibly passed his knowledge. He probably knew about it before it even happened. This worried Susan. What would Aslan think or say? Would he approve of the match? Would he even allow it? And if he didn't, what would Susan do? She was sure that she could not leave Caspian, but if her siblings and Aslan, above all, did not approve, what else could be done?

"Susan?" a familiar voice asked as she descended down a stone staircase that was a hall away from the courtyard.

"Caspian," Susan said and the two bowed to one another.

"Why are you not asleep?" he questioned, placing his hand on her cheek. He found it to be cold.

"Aslan has called me. He wishes for me to speak to Him and my siblings. I can only guess about what."

A graver look overtook the face of the soon-to-be King Caspian. He understood that Susan was worried about what was to be said, and he could not mask the equal feeling that he possessed. All he did was move closer to Susan.

"It will be alright," Susan assured him.

"How do you know that?" he asked with fear, backing away from Susan with a look of shock.

"Because Aslan is an understanding Lion, and he can speak great reason to whoever is listening." Susan moved to Caspian and wrapped her arms around her neck. "And I know that it will be so, that we are not to be parted. I have faith in us."

"Susan," Caspian sighed. He kissed her neck and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I should be going; they're waiting for me," Susan said as she heard the faint words of Peter.

"Go," urged Caspian as he released her.

Susan walked over to the hall that the Lion and her brothers and sister were in. She stopped at its entrance and turned to say, "I love you."

Caspian smiled back. "I know."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"The four of you now have a great decision to make," Aslan's wise voice said. They were now quite far from Susan's bedroom, far from any wandering ear. "It will forever alter the course of your lives. I will leave you now to make it."

The Great Lion turned and left the Pevensies. Susan was situated on a fountain's edge, looking down at her feet and sitting up straight. She could feel the hot stares of all of her siblings burning into her as they thought to themselves about the matter that was at hand. Although she was growing ever hotter with discomfort as each moment passed, she remained seated very poised, as though she was not affected by anything that had just happened at all.

Aslan had told the Pevensies of Susan's engagement to Caspian, and they all shared mixed feelings about it. Of course the lot was overjoyed with the though of their sister and Caspian being married, for they had seen how happy the pair was together. But they could not help but feel bitter towards the engagement, for if Susan and Caspian were to be married, all of the Pevensies would have to remain in Narnia for the rest of their lives.

"You ask a huge sacrifice from us, Susan," Peter said.

All Susan could do was look up at him with worry, fear, and shock.

"If you were to marry Caspian, all of us would have to stay here forever. We could never go back."

"Forever is an awfully long time," Edmund added.

Susan bit her tongue to hold back the tears that she felt forming in her eyes.

"Yes, but has Susan not made many sacrifices for us?" little Lucy spoke up. Susan looked at her with interest and appreciation, and Lucy took this as a token to continue her input. "Edmund, she helped you come back to us safely when the White Witch had kidnapped you. She stayed with Aslan all through the night so that he would not be left alone, and she fought in the battle against the White Witch to save the Narnians, and to save us. And this time, she fought with you, Peter, when you attacked the Telmarine palace. She showed loyalty and bravery for all of Narnia, and she didn't ask for anything in return. And she also sacrificed herself for me in the forest when we were followed. If Susan hadn't stayed behind to fight off the soldiers that followed us, I never would have found Aslan, and we'd all be dead right now."

Lucy ended her powerful speech. Susan smiled and mouthed a "Thank you" to her when she caught her eye. Edmund was looking at his youngest sister with curiosity, while Peter looked as though he was analyzing her. He then turned this look to Susan.

"Do you love him?" he asked bluntly.

"Yes," Susan breathed.

Peter analyzed her for a moment longer

"Staying wouldn't be that bad, Peter," Edmund urged. Lucy had him convinced. "We could rebuild Cair Paravail, and be Kings again, and maybe this time we'll even be able to catch the white stag." Edmund was excited just thinking about it.

"Well," Peter sighed after a moment's pause, "it's settled then. Susan will be married to Caspian, and we'll all stay here and live at Cair Paravail. Besides," Peter smiled, "I've never stopped wanting to catch that stag."

Unable to contain her joy, Susan sprang up from her seat and pulled all three of her siblings into a hug at once, the tears now escaping from her eyes, not due to sorrow, but to bliss.


	16. Chapter 16

The Great Lion returned soon after the Pevensies had made their decision. Susan proudly announced to the Lion that the Pevensies had chosen to stay in Narnia and not return to England, and that she would be married to the soon-to-be king of Telmar. The Lion responded with a faint smile and a promise to deal with life back in England for the Kings and Queens. Although he expressed neither joy nor remorse at the decision that had been made, the children could tell that he approved of the result of meeting. Aslan then left them as abruptly as he had joined them.

Susan was still overtaken with joy. She and her siblings were all linking arms and walking back to their lodgings, laughing and all talking at once about the wonders that were to come with a life spent in Narnia. Peter talked of how he would be High King once more, and reveled in the thought of ruling Narnia and bestowing peace on the land. Lucy enjoyed they idea that she would be able to stay with all of her friends and make even more new ones. Edmund was looking forward to refining his skill with a blade and bravely battling far off lands in order to keep Narnia. All that Susan could think about was her Caspian. She smiled in knowing that she would be his wife soon enough, and that she would never be parted from him for the rest of her days. Her best hopes and dreams had come true.

The Pevensie children rounded the corner and ascended the stairs that Susan had walked what seemed like hours ago. They turned into the hall down which were the rooms that they were living in, and found Caspian pacing outside Susan's door. All the Kings and Queens suddenly stopped and fell silent. Caspian looked up, having heard their approaching footsteps. All attention was now turned to Susan. Her siblings looked at her, wondering what she would do next, and Caspian searched her face with worry for some kind of answer as to what had happened. Susan stepped out slowly from her sibling's company and made her way to Caspian. She felt the eyes of her brothers and sister follow her as she approached him. Not betraying anything, Susan kept a stern expression as she slowly ambled towards Caspian. He began to walk towards her, and at this, Susan hastened her pace. As Susan got closer to Caspian, she couldn't help but allow a smile to spread across her lips. Caspian took this as a assertion that the Pevensies were staying in Narnia, and that he could be married to Susan, so he smiled, too. And he then caught Susan in his arms, as she wrapped an arm around her neck and placed her hand on his cheek, kissing him as deeply as she could. It didn't' matter that her siblings were only feet away, it didn't matter that they were watching, and it didn't matter that kissing Caspian in his kingdom so openly wasn't entirely proper. Susan didn't care. She was with the one she loved, and she would never leave him again.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The next morning was the coronation ceremony. The four Kings and Queens of Old rode behind the newly crowned King Caspian of Telmar throughout the city as Telmarines and Narnians alike cheered for the newly crowned Telmarine ruler. The Narnian royalty wore their crowns as well. Susan was especially beautiful that day, wearing an elaborate gown of deep crimson and gold, matching the golden flower crown that was on her head. She waved and smiled as she rode next to her brother, joy radiating from her. She looked to her siblings, crowned and equally clothed in the finest of garments, smiling even larger as she saw the happiness on each of thief faces. Caspian looked back and smiled at her occasionally, and Susan was so happy that she laughed.

Queen Susan the Gentle of Narnia was married to King Caspian X of Telmar the next evening. It was an absolutely beautiful ceremony, held in the gardens of Telmarine. Flowers fell from the trees as the couple said their vows, and the crowed watching, a fine mix of Narnians and Telmarines, let out a triumphant and joyous cheer as the newly married Caspian and Susan kissed and then turned and faced their people for the first time as man and wife. Susan first looked to her siblings, standing in the front row, all sporting the largest of grins. The married couple walked down the aisle, smiling and waving to all that were present. Susan had never felt more joyous in all of her life; she was now bound to the man whom she loved, and she was never to be parted from him for the rest of her life.

King Caspian X and Queen Susan the Gentle ruled Telmar in peace for the rest of their days. High King Peter, King Edmund, and Queen Lucy had the palace of Cair Paravel rebuilt, and there they lead a prosperous Narnia back into vivid life and joyous freedom. The two countries got on in peace and friendship for the rest of time, aiding one another when needed, and often extending great gifts to one another. And all five Kings and Queens lived out the rest of their lives in happiness, glad for the sacrifices that had been made to advance them to blissful positions they had arrived at.


End file.
